Top News for May 22, 2014

Facebook is trying harder to keep people from accidental sharing. And they’re doing it in two ways. Today, Facebook changed the default setting for new users. Instead of sharing to the public by default, posts will now be addressed to “friends.” And Facebook is also getting help from a cartoon dinosaur. Read more at wsj.com.

Google’s Director of Network Engineering, whose name is Jeffrey Burgan, wrote a blog post yesterday about Google Fiber. He wrote that Google doesn’t charge companies to “prioritize packets” the way that Comcast and other ISPs do. Google Fiber is the company’s ultra high-speed internet service, which is currently available only in Kansas City and Provo, Utah. Read more at arstechnica.com.

Google plans to sell WiFi hardware and software cheaply to small and medium size business, according to an exclusive by Amir Efrati on the tech news site The Information. Google would also share customer data with the companies that would help them run their businesses better. The catch? Google may require the companies to log in to their Google accounts and accept targeted advertising from Google. The new program could launch this summer. Read more at theinformation.com.

Apple may be finally getting the message, even if some users aren’t. Some users of Apple’s iMessage system have been reporting trouble getting messages when they switch from an iPhone to a non-iPhone. The trouble is that Apple still lists the number as an iMessage account, so messages get trapped in an iMessage purgatory that can’t be accessed with a non-Apple device. A recent server glitch made the problem worse. A California woman has even launched a class-action lawsuit over the issue. Apple told Re/code’s Ina Fried that they fixed a server-side bug and will offer another bug fix in a future update that should address the problem. Read more at recode.net.

The Chinese government announced today that it will inspect technology products coming in to the country for both national security and quote “economic and social development” unquote.
In other words, China wants to punish America for charging five employees of the Chinese army with cyber espionage.
Companies that don’t pass the inspection process will be banned from sale in China. Read more at reuters.com.

LG plans to introduce a phone next week with a totally unusual feature. The LG G3 has a phone case with a round cutout for displaying what is essentially smartwatch functionality directly on the phone. with just a small part of the screen visible, users will see notifications and other information, and also do simple tasks like making calls, controlling music and using the camera without opening the case. Read more at lgnewsroom.com.